Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Paul Goggins) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Section 21 of the Drugs Act 2005 will come into force on 18 July 2005. Section 21 has amended the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 so that any fungi containing psilocin or an ester of psilocin—commonly known as magic mushrooms—are controlled drugs. Psilocin is already a class A drug—fresh magic mushrooms will be class A too.
	Magic mushrooms are a powerful hallucinogen and can cause real harm, especially to vulnerable people and those with mental health problems. The law has not been clear with regard to the status of fresh magic mushrooms and some have tried to exploit this apparent loophole. In the past two years there has been a sudden increase in the amount of magic mushrooms imported into the UK—HM Revenue and Customs estimates the imports for 2004 to be between 8,000 and 16,000 kilograms. The Government have acted to close the loophole by making it clear that they will not allow the open sale of fresh magic mushrooms. It is now an offence to import, export, produce, supply, possess or possess with intent to supply magic mushrooms, whatever form they are in, whether prepared or fresh. This is a clarification of the law not a reclassification. These measures received cross-party support during the passage through Parliament of the Drugs Bill through.
	The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs agreed that the law on magic mushrooms would benefit from clarification. Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, chair of the council, wrote to me on 2 June stating that "Council members accepted entirely that there should not be easy access to hallucinogenic mushrooms" and "this was a sensible move to clarify the law".
	During the Commons Committee Stage of the Drugs Bill, the Government undertook to bring in regulations dealing with exceptions from the offence of possession in certain circumstances. The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2005 are being laid before Parliament today and are due to come into force on 18 July 2005. The regulations amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to provide exceptions from the offence of possession of magic mushrooms. For example, a person will not be committing an offence of possession of magic mushrooms if the mushrooms are growing naturally and uncultivated on their premises.
	Also to be laid at the same time is the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2005. The order is due to come into force on 18 July 2005 and confirms legally that magic mushrooms, like psilocin, are designated as having no recognised medicinal use.
	Known suppliers and importers of magic mushrooms will be notified formally of the legal change as a precursor to commencement of the provisions on 18 July.
	Copies of the regulations and the order will be placed in the Library. Other sections of the Drugs Act 2005 will come into force later in the year.

Lord Drayson: My right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Adam Ingram) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Five key targets have been set for the chief executive of the Defence Procurement Agency for the financial year 2005–06.
	The first three key targets apply to all projects over £20 million which have passed their main gate approval but not yet achieved in-service date (ISD). The fourth key target reflects the importance that the department attaches to delivery of assets to the front line. Key target five comprises three measures based on the utilisation of assets. The key targets are:
	Key Target 1: Key requirements compliance
	Predicted achievement of customers' core requirements1 for projects: 97 per cent
	Key Target 2: Average in-year in-service date slippage
	Average in-year slippage of in-service dates not to exceed 1 month.
	Key Target 3: Average in-year cost growth
	Average in-year cost variation not to exceed 0.6 per cent.
	1 Around 10 core requirements per project are agreed between the DPA and MoD headquarters, defining the essential characteristics of the equipment/capability.
	Key Target 4: Asset Deliveries
	Achievement of planned in-year asset deliveries 90 per cent.
	Key Target 5: Achievement of Planned Efficiency Measures
	
		
			 (i) Asset turnover in months 83 
			 (ii) Assets delivered per £ of operating costs £13.2 
			 (iii) Assets produced per £ of operating costs £23.16

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Today I have deposited copies of The Freedom of Information Act—Statistics on Implementation in Central Government January to March 2005 in the Libraries of both Houses.
	This is the first quarterly bulletin produced by DCA monitoring of the performance of central government and associated bodies under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The following list sets out the key performance indicators and targets that have been set for the Public Guardianship Office for 2005–06.
	KPI 1: To increase the satisfaction of its customers in the delivery of its services as measured by customer surveys throughout the year.
	Targets:
	To achieve an overall satisfaction rating of 75 per cent.
	To reduce dissatisfaction among each of the PGO's different customer groups by 10 per cent.
	KPI 2: To increase the proportion of effective visits by the Lord Chancellor's visitors.
	Targets:
	New clients: To visit all new clients within six months of the order appointing the receiver being sent and to initiate any necessary action arising from the visit within one calendar month.
	To visit 10 per cent of clients within 12 to 18 months of a short order direction.
	Existing clients
	To undertake visits to existing clients as follows:
	10 per cent of clients within 18 months of a case transfer direction; annually where the chief executive of the PGO is the receiver; a repeat visit after three years where the receiver is still in place; a repeat visit when necessary based on recommendations made by a Lord Chancellor's visitor; and other visits as directed by the Court of Protection or requested by the PGO.
	In total, the PGO anticipates that these criteria will result in approximately 9,500 visits.
	Effective visits
	To achieve 80 per cent effective visits over the year. An effective visit is one where the visit is carried out within six months of the request being made; and recommended action is initiated within one calendar month of the visit.
	To increase the sample of telephone interviews with receivers or persons present at the visit from 10 per cent to 20 per cent by July 2005.
	KPI 3: To maintain an effective system to collect and review accounts, and use this process to review the case management regime to ensure that it is meeting the needs of each customer and client.
	Targets:
	To collect 60 per cent of accounts, in all cases where an account is properly due, within two calendar months of the accounting end date; 85 per cent within four calendar months of the accounting end date; and 95 per cent within six calendar months of the accounting end date. To complete the review of, or to have requested further information for, 100 per cent of accounts within 20 working days of receipt.
	To complete the review of 75 per cent of furthered on accounts (i.e. those where further information is needed) within 30 working days of the request for additional information.
	No case will have two accounts outstanding unless the Court of Protection has directed otherwise.
	KPI 4: To deliver an improved service to clients.
	Targets:
	Correspondence
	To respond to 60 per cent of correspondence within five working days of receipt;
	80 per cent of correspondence within 10 working days of receipt; and 98 per cent of correspondence within 15 working days of receipt.
	Release of funds
	To work with receivers to ensure they have access to funds to support the client for a year at a time. Where requests for release of funds are made over and above this, PGO will give directions to the Court Funds Office (CFO), or dispatch directions to the receiver within five working days in 80 per cent of cases and within 10 working days in 95 per cent of cases; or explain why it cannot release funds.
	Applications for Receivership
	Provided it has all the appropriate forms and information required in support of an application, PGO will list a case for hearing and notify the applicant within 10 working days in 95 per cent of cases.
	The hearing date will be within 35 working days of the date the hearing was listed in 95 per cent of cases.
	After the hearing, PGO will notify applicants of the outcome of the hearing and request any further information the court requires within five working days in 95 per cent of cases.
	PGO will issue orders within 10 working days in 95 per cent of cases where all information and documents have been received.
	Closing cases
	Where a client dies and PGO has a complete application for final directions, PGO will prepare and dispatch directions to transfer assets to personal representatives within 15 working days in 80 per cent of cases, within 20 working days in 98 per cent of cases.
	Enduring Powers of Attorney
	PGO will register and return 98 per cent of correctly lodged EPAs, where there are no objections, within five working days of the end of the statutory waiting period.
	Accuracy of Orders
	PGO will ensure that the level of orders returned with errors is less than 3 per cent.
	Case Transfer to Short Order Regime
	In 85 per cent of cases identified for consideration for a short order regime, the case will be referred to the Court of Protection within 15 working days for a decision to be made. Where the court directs a transfer, initiating action will be effected within 10 days of the decision in 95 per cent of cases.
	KPI 5: To demonstrate improvements in efficiency in value for money terms by meeting a unit cost target for undertaking each case in each of the three business streams as follows:
	Targets:
	Enduring Powers of Attorney: £114 per case;
	Appointing and Supervising Receivers: £540 per case; and
	Receivership of Last Resort: £8,000 per case.